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No, minister: scornful mandarins quietly kill government policies

David Owen has spoken out about some civil servants' 'dismissive attitudes'

A SENIOR civil servant has told how mandarins secretly “kill off” government proposals they dislike, raising fears some are abusing their position.

David Owen, the former head of national insurance policy, fell out with his Treasury bosses after a plan for a contributions tax break for businesses was torpedoed by officials. He complained that civil servants appeared to be making decisions over ministers’ heads, potentially breaching the civil service code. He was later sacked.

After winning a tribunal case for unfair dismissal, he has spoken out about the “dismissive” attitude some Whitehall civil servants adopt towards elected politicians, warning that risk-averse officials are blocking potentially valuable policies.

“This puts the spotlight back on officials’ attitudes to ministers and to their proposals. Over my career, I’ve been surprised at how dismissive of junior ministers officials can at times sound, as if a minister being very interested is no reason to take an